Sons of Muspellheimr
by Puro
Summary: The story of Ragnarok told as a western.


Sons of Muspellheimr

Geir inspected his rifle for the last time and packed it on his horse. His chief, Surtr, finally gave out the call that they were going to ride. Geir was confident as he got on his horse He just became of age and instead of joining his first hunt he would be going to war. Surtr heard the sacred Fjalar crow in his dreams and assured the tribe victory. That's all Geir and the men of the Fire Tribe needed to agree to go along. They bid farewell to their women and rode behind the chief. The procession was blessed by the shaman with a sacrifice of a rooster. "This might be the last time you see Muspellheimr. May your mission be just and your plunder plentiful," she cooed at Surtr as he drank from the rooster's blood. With a loud cry Surtr rode out of the encampment towards the jail. Geir and the men repeated the cry as they followed behind their chief, "For Thrymr and glory!" His heart pounded under the thunderous parade of hooves as he forced himself focus on the thought of the chief's brother in the jail. He was convinced their mission was just. The only crime Thrymr committed was coveting a woman from the Outsiders and since Surtr supported his brother, Geir knew that it was right.

The trek to the Outsider village of Asgardr where Thrymr was held was long, but the men kept their spirits high with songs and battle cries. By morning they came up on Bifrost Bridge which marked their entry into enemy lands. It seemed unguarded. Surtr slowed the men's approach in case of an ambush. It was impossible since the Outsiders were so arrogant they wouldn't expect that the Fire Tribe would attack them to rescue Thrymr. Geir looked around all the same. There was nothing in the dawn's horizon but there was a sound in the wind. Surtr got their attention to their right. They saw a fast rider in the distance. Someone yelled Heimdallr's name and the whisper in the wind became clear. It was the trader and watchman, Heimdallr blowing his horn to warn Asgardr of an enemy approach. Geir, along with many others, got out their rifles and tried to shoot him down but he was too far away. Surtr raised his hand and they stopped. "It doesn't matter if they know, men. A surprise attack is for cowards anyway. Destroy the bridge when we pass. None of them will escape." The men gave out another hearty yell and Geir stood watch as the tribe passed through the bridge. All their faces had frenzied expressions. They had no fear and neither did he. He got down from his horse and cut down the ropes with his tomahawk. The Bifrost Bridge fell down the gorge as Geir was sure Vigrior Jail, and maybe Asgardr itself would too.

The tribe came upon the valley just beyond Asgardr when Surtr made them stop. Geir came up behind Surtr and asked him what was wrong. The sooner they get to Asgardr, the bigger the chance they would meet Thrymr unharmed. Surtr nodded forward and another rider came towards them. It was Loki the Shapeless. He was riding towards them slowly with face-paint on and a bare top. All his scars from his previous captivity were showing. He had a hand up in greeting. It would be a welcome gesture if not for a snake coiled around his forearm. It slithered towards his neck and down his side as he reached Surtr.

"I heard the horn. Figures it would be you."

"We ride towards Asgardr to-"

"Thrymr? You wish to break him out?" Loki rode his horse around Surtr looking him and the men over. Geir almost tried to burn through him with his gaze as they locked eyes. Loki put on a smirk and continued addressing Surtr. "I know his burden. Allow us to ride with you. They might be few but they are strong. We will all benefit if they are gone from this world. Yes... some of the other Noble Tribes will join in as well."

Geir heard horses approaching when Loki mentioned "us." He looked up and on one side of the nearest hill were the rest of the Rejected, Loki's tribe. Most of them used to be with the Outsiders until the Civil Wars. Losers and outcasts, all of them, living in the barrens of Hel. Geir spotted other chiefs and their warriors around the hills peering down on them including Hrymr of the Frost Tribe. It was surprising seeing the Rejected among the Noble Tribes. Their cause had turned into something bigger. Geir spat on the ground at the thought of an alliance between the Noble Tribes and the Rejected and he looked at Surtr for his answer.

"You can join us. Just remember that the mission is about Thrymr first." Loki nodded and rode alongside Surtr. The tribes came down from the hills and joined the Fire Tribe towards Asgardr. Geir's heart pounded like it never had before at the sound of the much bigger force. It was enough to empower any warrior's soul. As desert gave way to forest the sight of Asgardr around the bend did not fill him with fear. The tribes gave out one last war cry as they stormed into Asgardr.

Surtr led the sons of Muspellheimr directly towards Vigrior Jail as the other tribes broke off from them to raid the town. As Geir rode he tried to peer into each house and shop along the road. He was surprised to see that they were mostly deserted. In fact, they met no resistance as they entered the village itself. Were the Outsiders this arrogant?, he thought. Geir saw that they had based their defense around the Vigrior compound after Heimdallr alerted them about the invasion. Loki and the other chiefs joined up with Surtr and confirmed that they didn't find anything. The Outsiders must have planned to make a stand at Vigrior. The Noble Tribes surrounded the Vigrior compound and waited for nightfall. Loki camped out on the roof of an adjacent building and began chanting. After a few moments various snakes came out of the forests and into the city. They crept up Vigrior's walls and began their work. Geir asked Surtr if it was right to used the Rejected's magic, but he was assured that it was agreed upon by the chiefs since it would help them be victorious. Geir didn't like it until he heard screams coming from behind the walls. It seemed like it would be an easy victory then, but the men from Asgardr would prove that they weren't cowards.

After an hour the walls became lively with action. Soldiers lined the walls and aimed their rifles. They were the chosen elite from the Civil Wars and they stood proud. The tribesmen rode around Vigrior in circles and exchanged fire with the soldiers. Geir did his best to stay close to Surtr and pick up some of his fighting spirit. Others rode in front of their chief to make sure Surtr wouldn't be injured. The tribesmen picked their shots until they broke through the walls with four well aimed sticks of dynamite. Then they stormed inside and unleashed their full power. Geir's horse was injured and his rifle was damaged. He was forced to use his revolver and use more cover. He knew Surtr would be storming the main building soon and he wanted to join him. He carefully made his way there, picking off random soldiers and taking cover behind fallen horses and defenses that his fellow warriors had taken over. He saw three Outsider warlords enter the main building of the jail and some soldiers park a cart in front of the doors. Surtr, Loki, and Hrymr gathered some warriors to storm the building. Geir shot a soldier and killed another with his tomahawk before running over to help them. They carried their spears and revolvers. Geir stopped as Surtr and Hrymr stood aside and Loki called for two of his Rejected. The three chiefs chanted and the men transformed into two massive wild beasts. One of them resembled a dog with blue fur and his breath was a cold mist. The other resembled a black wolf and breathed fire. The two hulking beasts ran forward destroying the makeshift barrier and the doors down. The chiefs and a small contingent of warriors stormed the building after the beasts. Geir cautiously followed them as the battle continued outside.

He was surprised that when he entered the doorway his tribesmen looked like they were blinded. A faint light was coming from a stairwell that led up to a cell block. It came from the Outsider warlord Thor's sledgehammer. It was shimmering with light and Geir shielded his eyes so as not to fall victim to the light like the others. A group of soldiers came forward and shot at the chiefs, who sprang for cover. Some of the warriors were hit. Geir went for cover and looked over to where Surtr was. He was with Loki behind a pillar. Loki raised his hand and waved it over towards Thor and a group of snakes squirmed up the stairs. When they reached him they had joined up to form a giant rattlesnake. Thor, surprised, stopped shining the light from his sledgehammer, giving the tribesmen a chance to retaliate. They engaged the soldiers as Thor fought the snake. He swung at it wildly with his weapon but suffered a few bites to his legs and shoulders. He finally managed to catch the snake and crushed it's head against a wall. He turned and walked towards the stairs with gunfire zooming past him. He walked down nine steps glaring at the chiefs before dropping his weapon and collapsing down to the floor. After this it seemed the soldiers around him lost their will and were easily overcome by the chiefs and tribesmen. They advanced further into the jail and separated to look for Thrymr. Geir was too slow to follow them and was lost to search by himself.

He heard the growling of the blue beast and went towards it down the administration side of the jail. It was fighting against the Outsider warlord Tyr. When Geir approached, it had Tyr's neck in its jaws and Tyr had a revolver pointed at its head. The warlord shot the beast as it clamped down harder on his neck and they both died. Geir was surprised at his hesitation to act but he didn't feel any particular loyalty to the magical monstrosity. It had done its job well and he raised his tomahawk in its honor. He heard shooting some distance away and ran towards the sound. He came onto the catwalk above a cafeteria and found the General of Asgardr, Odin, and his son, Vidarr, fighting the other beast. Odin still looked fearsome in his bloodied golden coat. He was trying to shoot the wolf with a shotgun and Vidarr was shooting at it from a distance with a rifle whenever he got a chance. Nothing, however, seemed to be stopping the wolf. The beast kept Odin between itself and Vidarr so he couldn't hit and it stalked out of range from Odin's shotgun, waiting to strike. It found the chance due to Odin's rush to judgment. He shot at the wolf but missed and the beast leapt up and tore his head off. Vidarr stumbled back in astonishment and Geir put a hand over his mouth so he wouldn't scream. The beast looked at Vidarr in the eyes as it swallowed his father's head. This sparked something in Vidarr and he rushed at the wolf. Geir scrambled for his revolver as Vidarr surprised the wolf and caught it before it could bite down. He held its jaws open with both hands on the upper jaw and his knees on the lower jaw. He extended his arms and body and snapped the wolf's face in two. Geir got his weapon in control and fired wildly at Vidarr, but he was able to escape and Geir ran out of bullets. Geir took one look at the dead wolf and Odin's decapitated body before deciding not to go after Vidarr and continue his search for Surtr and Thrymr.

He made his way to the solitary confinement block at the top floor of the jail. The cells and corridors on his way up were filled with dead fighters from both sides. He put the wounded out of their misery on his way up as a duty to his tribe. When he reached the top he heard another struggle. He came upon Loki and Heimdallr fighting each other with knives. Loki's magic energy seemed to be spent. He was sprawled on the ground. Heimdallr threw himself at him. Geir called out to Loki while Heimdallr was in mid-air. Loki managed to raise a knife into Heimdallr as Heimdallr plunged his own knife into Loki's chest. They both cried out and managed to stab each other multiple times before Heimdallr finally slumped off Loki. Geir walked over to them and Loki smiled at him before dying. A black mist rose out of his body and out of the building leaving Geir a bit disturbed at what such a man could accomplish. He continued with his search and found what he was looking for on the other side of the jail.

Surtr was staring into a block of solitary cells with dead eyes. When Geir got to him he saw what Surtr was amazed by. An Outsider warlord named Freyr was smiling into a cell, wiping red off his hands with a handkerchief. Thrymr's head was poking out of the foot of the cell, badly beaten up, in a pool of blood. When Freyr turned and saw a morose Surtr and Geir he clutched at his side but only found an empty sword holster. He was able to exclaim, "My cutlass?" before Surtr punched a spear through his face. Surtr walked into his brother's cell and got the hair out of his eyes. He kept his back towards Geir while he spoke to him sternly. "Young one. Get the gear from outside." Geir ran to the entrance of the building and looked for any pack that their warriors might have been carrying. He found a member of his tribe with two bags on his shoulders, and a bullet in his head on the ground right outside the entrance. He got the bags off him and called out for anyone from his tribe to help him. They made their way towards their chief and met him outside the solitary confinement block in front of his brother's body. Surtr opened one of the bags, got out a molotov cocktail, and passed one to each of the men that Geir managed to bring. "There are more on the pack mules. Spread the word. I want it all to burn." Geir stared back at Thrymr's body as Surtr lit his molotov and threw it into the room. Surtr took a bag and his men spread out to complete their mission. Vigrior, Asgardr, and the surrounding forests burned as the Fire Chief of Muspellheimr commanded. The fire spread wide and far before it started to rain.


End file.
